An Evening from the Heart
by iPepsi
Summary: It was Christmas Eve and Carly was at the loft baking cookies alone, missing the traditions her and Sam have shared together. Sam returned early from spending the day with her girlfriend's family and the mood gets turned around. One-Shot. CAM.


_AN: If you're holding your breath hoping for updates on my in progress stories, then I recommend investing in an oxygen tank. I apologize for the inconvenience I have caused you by leaving things hanging, but there are too many priorities in my life that make it difficult to fit fanfiction in, especially when I'm not that attached to the plot anymore. On a brighter note, this one shot practically spilled out, and I promise there's no cliffhanger. It's safe to continue reading. I hope you enjoy my holiday-inspired creation._

**An Evening from the Heart**

It was Christmas Eve afternoon and Carly stood in the kitchen baking cookies. Spencer had left a couple hours before to attend Socko's family's Christmas party. Carly turned down the invitation to join him, because she found herself in the mood to put on a silly apron and show some cookie dough who's boss. That and she was holding on to a thread of hope that Sam would return early from spending the day with Wendy's family. Sam and Carly had been spending the greater part of Christmas Eve together since the beginning of their friendship, and it couldn't be the same without her.

But Wendy was Sam's girlfriend now, and on occasions like the holidays it seemed wrong to ask her to choose a friendship tradition over starting a new one with a significant other. So Carly opted to find a solo activity to keep her busy and in the holiday spirit. She would have invited Freddie, but his mom took him away to some state where one of his great aunts or uncles live. Maybe it was a second cousin. Either way, he wasn't home.

Just after four, the front door was pushed open. Carly sat in the middle of the couch dipping one of her cookies into a glass of milk. The TV was set on some Christmas special that she hadn't really been paying attention to, because her mind was wandering elsewhere. Sam barging in snapped her out of a daze, and she offered a simple greeting.

"Hey Sam."

"Hey..."

Sam pulled off her jacket, tossed it on the nearest chair, and plopped down beside Carly, who quickly became concerned that her friend's greeting came paired with some version of a frown.

"Is something wrong?"

Carly turned her head toward Sam and met her eyes. Yep, there was definitely something wrong.

"Wendy broke up with me. I thought everything was going fine. We had lunch with her family, played a game of Clue, and they were getting ready to watch A Christmas Story before I left. It's their tradition to open one present on Christmas Eve though, so we started doing that. When I handed Wendy what I got her she took me to her room and told me to keep it...and ended it."

If Sam was any other person she would have been balling, but not a single tear slipped out. She sounded numb more than anything. A trace of disappointment in her voice, however, not in her expression. Carly opened her arms to offer a hug that Sam accepted, and she let her chin fall into Carly's shoulder for a few seconds before they both pulled back.

"Did she at least give a good reason why she wanted to break up?"

Sam seemed to hesitate before she nodded her head.

"Yeah, she did. But it's not that important."

Sam reached out to grab the other cookie Carly had brought out on her plate and took a bite casually, without bothering with the milk. It was obvious she didn't intend for the conversation to continue on topic. Carly picked up on that and opted for a topic change herself.

"Do you want to exchange gifts with me? Or we can go up to my room and watch our favorite movie until Spencer gets back, then have him cook you up that ham that's sitting in the freezer."

Sam's face turned to a display of guilt and she let out a sigh.

"About your gift..."

Carly's stomach dropped at that moment. It seemed like bad news was coming.

"You see, I bought this really expensive necklace for Wendy. It cost me almost everything I had, and I figured you'd understand if your gift had to be given a rain check."

Sam stood up, grabbed her jacket, and pulled a fancy box out of the left pocket. She opened it carefully and handed it to Carly after she returned to her seat.

"Wow Sam, this is so beautiful. Who knew you'd have such great taste?"

Carly smirked a little, and nudged her best friend playfully before she closed the box and handed it back to Sam.

"You can still get a refund, right?"

Sam shook her head and set the necklace on the coffee table.

"I got it during one of those special sales. They don't allow returns, only exchanges for defects. It still cost a lot, but it dropped just inside my price range."

Carly noticed her heart rate started to increase rapidly at her next suggestion.

"Maybe you can save it for your next girlfriend. I mean...you didn't have it customized or anything. She wouldn't have to know it was meant for another girl."

"I guess. What about your present though? Are you disappointed?"

"A little, but that's just the selfish side of me talking. You really care...or cared for Wendy, and she deserved to get something special. We've had plenty of Christmases together to give each other things, but this was you first chance to impress someone you might have been in love with."

Carly looked away and felt Sam's gaze on her. After a pause of silence it sounded like Sam was about to say something in reply, but Carly chose that moment to get up and she retrieved her gift for Sam. She grabbed it from under the tree and held it out to Sam, who stood up to join her by the kitchen counter. Sam unwrapped it slowly to discover a sealed box with a gift card taped to the front of it.

"A box of Bolivian bacon and a $25 gift card to Groovy Smoothie? My mouth is watering already. How'd you find it? It's been a couple years since I've had this, and I heard a rumor the company went out of business. Their website shut down at least," Sam explained in astonishment.

"It wasn't easy to find. I searched for hours online, and there were a ton of dead ends. Finally, I found a forum where a guy linked in his post to somewhere I could get it. There's a chance it's just imitation, but I was willing to take the risk."

Sam walked into the kitchen to grab a box cutter from a drawer and quickly returned to release the boxed bacon from its shipping incarceration. It looked and smelled just as she remembered it.

"So I suppose you want to cook that now,"Carly added passively.

"Nah," Sam shook her head, "it can wait."

"Whoa. Did Sam Puckett just offer to delay gratification? That's new."

"Well, Wendy helped me work on that...in certain ways," Sam replied with a wink.

"I don't wanna know. Okay...time for that movie then?"

"Sure, let's go."

Carly and Sam went up to Carly's room to watch It's A Wonderful Life. They popped popcorn, brought along Peppy Colas, and reclined on her comfy couch. Spencer was still not back when the movie ended. Carly wiped the last of the tears created by the ending scene from her eyes and got up, as she intended to put their trash in the garbage and cans in the recycling.

"Wait, Carly, can we talk," Sam asked softly, in a tone that hinted she was affected by the movie as well.

Carly felt confused and afraid, but nodded for Sam to continue.

"I think you should know why Wendy dumped me."

"No, Sam, it's fine. You seemed reluctant before, and it's probably none of my business."

"Well, actually, I didn't want to tell you because it is your business...because it has to do with you."

Sam drummed her fingers along her right leg and looked as nervous as ever.

"It's my fault," Carly whispered seriously.

"No. It's not the kinda thing that can be anybody's fault. It just...is."

"I'm lost."

"When you said that it was the first chance I had to impress someone I'm in love with," Sam began before she took a pause.

She could feel beads of sweat forming on her face and Carly's stomach was hosting an evening party for some butterflies.

"You were wrong. I've had dozens of chances. Except all the others...they've been with the same person. That person is you."

Sam leaned in and gave Carly a quick kiss on the cheek before she had the chance to lose her nerve. She'd rather have gone for the lips, but needed to know she wasn't overstepping before taking that extra step.

"Oh my God..."

Sam got up and stepped back, prepared to deal with a serious freak out. It never came. Instead, a huge grin appeared on Carly's face.

"Um...Carly," Sam started cautiously, as she hoped to figure out what had crossed that mind of hers.

"You're in love with me?"

"That's what all the evidence is telling me..and Wendy's insistence..."

"Evidence?"

"The entire time I was at Wendy's I kept bringing up our traditions, what things were similar to her family's or what we do different. There wasn't a single topic where I didn't find some way to fit you in, and that's why Wendy pulled me aside. She didn't think it made any sense for me to keep talking about another girl when I should've been proving to her parents how she and I fit into each other's lives."

Carly moved to sit on her bed and motioned for Sam to join her. Her butt had been getting numb from sitting in the same spot on the couch for too long, but she didn't want to distract attention from the important conversation they were in the middle of having.

"Now's a good time to tell you there's a possibility I'm in love with you too, huh?"

"I don't know. Is there actually that possibility,"Sam wondered aloud.

"Oh yeah. I'm sure. There hasn't been a second since you told me Wendy asked you out for the first time that I wasn't full of jealousy," Carly admitted sheepishly.

"The thought of us together has crossed my mind more times than I can count. I never took it seriously until I was with Wendy for a while. When it started to feel like a tug-of-war balancing time between the two of you, and every time you told me I should choose her I was choosing you inside my head."

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. She chose for us."

Sam nodded and Carly smiled.

"Would it be weird if I asked before I kiss you," Sam whispered lightly.

"Totally weird, but the answer's yes."

Sam leaned in first, and Carly met her halfway before their lips connected. The initial contact only lasted about ten seconds before they separated and pulled back ever-so-slightly.

"Sam?"

"Yeah Carly?"

"I think your new girlfriend is going to know the necklace was bought for another girl."

"Not really. I think she should take note that in my heart, I knew it belonged with her all along."

Their lips reconnected, this time initiated by Carly, and they allowed themselves to get lost in it.

_AN: If you're still in the giving spirit, a review would be a cherished gift. All types of feedback are encouraged and appreciated. Yes, even the parts where you tell me what I need to work on. I'm aware that tense and I have a love-hate relationship._


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